Sunday Salon: The Vietnam War (My Reading, Part 1)

I met a woman the other day who shared her story with me. She was a young mother in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. She fled for her life, having no knowledge that she was carrying her second child at the time. She was scared, afraid for her life as well as that of her family. She made it to the United States, although how exactly, she sometimes wonders to this day. She brought with her both painful and happy memories. Hers is just one of many stories about Vietnam and the toll the war had on our lives.

It impacted me in a much less direct way. My father is a Vietnam Vet, having served time during the war. It changed him in ways I cannot imagine. His experiences will always be with him, and so, however indirectly, with me. It is that knowledge that I bring with me into every book I read that touches on the Vietnam War. The stories become more personal as a result. I can't help but think of my father during that time in his life.

It was with these thoughts that I opened Nam Le's The Boat, a collection of short stories, only a couple of which are directly related to Vietnam. I decided to read the first story in the book, "Love and Honor and pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice," which is about a father and son who have barely spoken in three years. The son, Nam, is struggling to find inspiration for his current writing project, when he decides to write about his father's experiences during the Vietnam War. His father, who is visiting from out of town, is reluctant for the story to be written, but shares it with his son anyway. Author Nam Le's story is beautifully written and yet it does not blunt the horror of the son's father's story of the Americans arrival in Vietnam, of the murder and fear. But more so, this is a story about a father and son, about their relationship, and the son's desire to distance himself from his father while all the while to understand his father and to have his father understand and accept him.

I recently read an interview with the author in which he discusses his exploration of "'authenticity' in fiction." The story is autobiographical but is also fiction; but how much of it? The author purposefully leaves the reader to wonder and ponder whether it affects the reading experience.


This month I am participating in the read-a-long of Paco's Story by Larry Heinemann for the War Through the Generations Vietnam War Challenge. Each week, participants are reading two chapters of the book and answering a set of questions. This past week, we were assigned to read the first two chapters. I confess, it was hard to just stop there!

1. Who do you think the narrator is?

While this may seem like a simple question on the surface, when it comes to Paco's Story it appears to be a bit more complicated. The identity of the narrator is not exactly clear. The text seems to indicate that he is one of the Alpha Company soldiers who died that fateful day at Fire Base Harriette.


2. What does the opening paragraphs of Chapter 1 tell you about the narrator?

The war has touched the narrator as it did many of the soldiers who fought in it. He is hardened and embittered. He makes it clear up front that he isn't writing just another war story--no one wants to hear that, he says. From what I can tell so far, the novel seems like so much more than just that.


3. How do you think Paco’s survival impacted the medic’s world view? And how did that change the medic?

The medic from Bravo Company had been disillusioned long ago. Death is an inevitable part of war, and, all around him, it seemed as if death followed. His efforts to save the injured soldiers were for naught all too often. He came to expect that everyone he attempted to bandage up and heal would die. He expected no less of Paco. Facing the carnage of the Alpha Company was the last straw for the medic. And as he waited for the call that never came, the call that Paco had died, he realized just how fruitless his efforts were, how helpless he was, and how hopeless he felt. He lost all interest in pretending anymore that he could make a difference.


4. Is Paco's Story narrated in a way that is “too” honest?

Paco's Story is raw and real in a way that novels like this should be written. War is violent and harsh. There is nothing pleasant about it and to gloss it over would be to betray the experiences of so many who have fought, died and survived. I also think it is important for those of us who have not experienced similar events in our lives to know the unvarnished truth. Paco's Story strikes the right balance of honesty in the narration. This novel would not be as powerful or authentic as it is otherwise.


Kim from Sophisticated Dorkiness is hosting a read-along for Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried this month. She plans to post her thoughts on the book on July 26th and encourages others to join in on the discussion.

I bought a copy of the book years ago for my father, hoping he would loan it to me after he read it. He loved it, but because of the physical distance between us, I never was able to borrow the book from him. As a result, I bought my own copy and it has sat unread on my shelf for quite some time. The Things They Carried was the first book I thought of adding to my reading list for the Vietnam War Challenge this year.

It seems fitting that I should choose to read this book right alongside Paco's Story. Paco had been a soldier in the Alpha Company, and the interconnected stories that make up The Things They Carried are about men in the Alpha Company. I will not be reviewing each of the stories in The Things They Carried separately; rather, I will follow Kim's example and post my overall thoughts on the book later this month.

Are you participating in any of these read-a-longs this month? Have you read these books? If so, what did you think?

Where has your reading taken you lately?

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